Divine Chocolate was established by Fairtrade when a group of cocoa farmers in Ghana pooled its resources to set up a farmers' co-op, Kuapa Kokoo, to trade its own cocoa and manage the selling process more efficiently than the government cocoa agents.
Kuapa Kokoo is a majority shareholder (44%) of Divine, and the innovative company structure has been recognised through several awards acclaiming its outstanding social enterprise status.
At the heart of Divine’s founding purpose is to help farmers gain a share of the wealth they are helping to create, putting them higher up the value chain. “In doing so, this creates a supply chain that shares value more equitably and serves as an example of a viable model for how to secure the sustainable future of cocoa and cocoa farming,” the company claims.
Along with acknowledgement of its sustainability program, Divine has also won numerous awards for its premium chocolate.
In our latest podcast we talk to Divine CEO Sophi Tranchell on a wide range of issues including changes in the sustainability landscape in the cocoa sector, the role of retailers, B-Corp recognition in the United States, the impact of Brexit and how it will affect its relationship with Divine’s German cocoa supplier.
Listen to the full interview above.
